There currently exist a number of mechanisms and methods for tightening a shoe or boot around a wearer's foot. A traditional method comprises threading a lace in a zigzag pattern through eyelets that run in two parallel rows attached to opposite sides of the shoe. The shoe is tightened by first tensioning opposite ends of the threaded lace to pull the two rows of eyelets towards the midline of the foot and then tying the ends in a knot to maintain the tension. A number of drawbacks are associated with this type of lacing system. First, laces do not adequately distribute the tightening force along the length of the threaded zone, due to friction between the lace and the eyelets, so that portions of the lace are slack and other portions are in tension. Consequently, the higher tensioned portions of the shoe are tighter around certain sections of the foot, particularly the ankle portions which are closer to the lace ends. This is uncomfortable and can adversely affect performance in some sports.
Another drawback associated with conventional laces is that it is often difficult to untighten or redistribute tension on the lace, as the wearer must loosen the lace from each of the many eyelets through which the laces are threaded. The lace is not easily released by simply untightening the knot. The friction between the lace and the eyelets often maintains the toe portions and sometimes much of the foot in tension even when the knot is released. Consequently, the user must often loosen the lace individually from each of the eyelets. This is especially tedious if the number of eyelets is high.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,934,599, 6,202,953, and 6,289,558 to Hammerslag (the “Hammerslag Patents”), which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, disclose a lacing system that automatically distributes lateral tightening forces along the length of the wearer's ankle and foot. More particularly, the Hammerslag Patents describe a circular tightening apparatus that is rotated to tighten stainless steel wire/strands coated with friction reducing polymers and locked in place with a ratchet and pawl lock. The polymer coated stainless steel wire is threaded through the eyelets around the ankle and is connected at both ends to the tightening apparatus. The stainless steel laces are loosened when the lock is released by lifting the pawl and pulling on the laces to loosen them, or using reverse rotation of the ratchet. This lacing system is known commercially as the BOA™ system, and the FootJoy ReelFit™ golf shoes have incorporated this lacing system. However, the footwear incorporating the lacing system disclosed in the Hammerslag Patents only supports the top of the foot and the ankle, and does not support the arches of the feet. Furthermore, the stainless steel lace disclosed therein can cause discomfort when it traverses through conventional padding in a shoe. Such shortcomings can diminish a wearer's athletic performance in sports such as golf, where it has been long recognized that proper foot support is the foundation to a powerful and consistent golf swing.
Thus, there is a need for a tightening system for footwear that does not suffer from the aforementioned drawbacks.